A World Without Evil, Sort Of…
by Justarius
Summary: What would Konoha be like if the NineTailed Fox didn’t exist? And neither did any of the other tailed demons. Well, Naruto and Sasuke are about to find out. However, the Fourth doesn’t really like spies, so…
1. Chapter 1

Title: A World Without Evil, Sort Of…

Author: Justarius

Submission Date: 4/5/07

Synopsis: What would Konoha be like if the Nine-Tailed Fox didn't exist? And neither did any of the other tailed demons. Well, Naruto and Sauske are about to find out. However, the Fourth doesn't really like spies, so…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters shown in the manga of anime Naruto. Like everyone else here, this is just done for fun. :P

--_Valley of the End, Demos Dimension—_

Naruto snarled. _That damn bastard still holds his precious vengeance above everything! Even after I opened up to him just a moment ago! He's coming back whether he wants to or not. _"Rasengan!"

Sasuke, likewise, snarled back. _That moron thinks that he knows everything. Just because we share a bond he thinks I can shirk off my responsibility to avenge my clan. I'll show him my pain! _"Chidori!"

The two ninja collided in a clash of blue and red light. As they did, an explosion of smoke enveloped the two of them, leaving no trace of either of them, except a slashed forehead protector, and the shredded remains of Naruto's orange jacket. These fell along the river bed, smoking.

Kakashi arrived at the scene not long after. He saw the smoke cloud with his sharingan, so he was considerably worried over the outcome of this battle, since no chakra use could be felt afterward. This was especially strange since, if he wanted to, he could usually sense Kyubi healing Naruto whenever he was injured severely.

Kakashi looked around the area, hoping against hope that they had both killed each other. Pakkun arrived and also smelled for any trace of them. Finally, Kakashi found the forehead protector and the jacket lying on the river bed.

"That's all that's left of them? They must have really hated each other," remarked Pakkun.

"Enough," replied a teary Kakashi. _I've failed those dearest to me again. I don't deserve to be a shinobi. All my training and I can't even arrive fast enough to save two teenagers from their own ambitions. _"Let's bring these back for a memorial and inform Hokage-sama of the bad news. She won't likely take it too well."

Pakkun nodded and followed Kakashi back to Konoha.

--_Valley of the End, Natos Dimension—_

Arashi scowled at Orochimaru. _This traitor dared show his face in Konoha after all he had done to the village! I'll capture and torture him myself!_

The mutilated bodies of all the missing children in the village had been found in Orocihimaru's estate, where he had obviously been performing experiments to access their bloodline traits and create new ones. Among the dead, the Fourth Hokage's second and youngest child, Niri, had been found. The Fourth's eldest son, Naruto, got the sad task of finding the site, as well as his sister's mangled corpse. Arashi didn't think he would ever see his son's happy, playful eyes again, as Naruto took the blame of his sister's death on himself.

"Orochimaru," the young Hokage snarled, "you are coming back to Konoha for trial and sentencing with me. Be glad I don't reduce you to ash this second!"

Orochimaru chuckled. "My, oh great Hokage, don't you put a lot of faith in your strength." He quickly sliced open his thumb with a kunai. "I know you can beat me, Yellow Flash, but can you beat Kyubi no Kitsune? Forbidden Demonic Art: Summoning Demon Jutsu!" Orochimaru slammed his hand on the ground and, in a large explosion of smoke, two figures flew out and crashed into the two statues.

Arashi, having never seen anyone build up the nerve to summon a demon to this world, was stunned. This was an extremely risky action, as demons were theorized as having no loyalty to the summoner, and reveled in killing off natural beings.

Just as Arashi was about to summon Gamabunta, he noticed the stunned expression on Orochimaru's face, and then he simply dissolved into a puddle of mud, as he made his retreat.

Arashi looked to the two figures that appeared from the summoning, fearing that they might be demons.

There was no doubt in Arashi's mind that they were demons on first inspection. The blonde one had claws and fangs and whisker marks on his cheeks. However, he also strangely had a Konoha forehead protector. The other had wings and was somewhat disfigured. But all those features seemed to be fading.

They were both heavily injured, but not in critical condition, almost like they had just escapes some huge battle. However, what caught his attention the most was that one of the demons looked just like his son, Naruto; and the other looked like the brother of the Uchiha clan head.

_--Konoha Hospital, Natos Dimension—_

Sasuke woke up in a lot of pain. He also realized that he was strapped down to a bed. _Damn, so Naruto actually beat me? How did that bastard get so strong?_

Sasuke looked to his right and saw Naruto in another hospital bed. _Well, at least I was able to wake up first. Kakashi-sensei must have found us after that last clash. I'll probably be tried as a missing-nin._

Then he noticed that Naruto was also strapped down. Sasuke drew in a quick breath. _Did that dobe come after me against orders? They wouldn't restrain anyone like this unless they were either emotionally unstable or criminal suspect. Naruto couldn't be sleeping more calmly._

As if on que, Naruto opened his eyes and looked around dazed. "Where am I?" He tried to stretch oud and found he had been heavily restrained. "Damn that Sauske! Not only does he beat me, but he captures me to!" He turned his head, still struggling, when he noticed Sasuke. His aggressive expression suddenly turned to stupefied. "Sasuke? Why are you restrained too?"

Sighing, Sasuke said angrily, "Apparently we were both captured after we knocked each other out by some other village, dobe."

"But who would want to capture both of us, teme?"

"I'm not sure. My first guess would be Akatsuki. However, that doesn't explain why we're still alive."

Just then, the door opened, and to both ninjas' surprise, Ibiki walked in, along with ten ANBU.

"Well, maggots," said Ibiki calmly, "unless you two want to get stepped on, we're going to be having a rather lengthy and detailed chat." Ibiki then proceeded to pull out a tool pouch, containing all sorts of tools; whose use neither Naruto nor Sasuke were really interested in finding out, but whose use Ibiki seemed to want to demonstrate to them anyway.

Sasuke sighed, and turned to Naruto. "You know, dobe, keeping me from defecting by defecting yourself doesn't really work."

**Author's Notes:**

Alright, this is my first fanfic, or really any other fic for that matter. What do you think? I like the story, so I'll probably continue despite others thoughts, but I'll definitely try to incorporate any good ideas into the fic.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: A World Without Evil, Sort Of…

Author: Justarius

Submission Date: 4/6/07

Synopsis: What would Konoha be like if the Nine-Tailed Fox didn't exist? And neither did any of the other tailed demons. Well, Naruto and Sauske are about to find out. However, the Fourth doesn't really like spies, so…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters shown in the manga of anime Naruto. Like everyone else here, this is just done for fun. :P

**Previously…**

"Well, maggots," said Ibiki calmly, "unless you two want to get stepped on, we're going to be having a rather lengthy and detailed chat." Ibiki then proceeded to pull out a tool pouch, containing all sorts of tools; whose use neither Naruto nor Sasuke were really interested in finding out, but whose use Ibiki seemed to want to demonstrate to them anyway.

Sasuke sighed, and turned to Naruto. "You know, dobe, keeping me from defecting by defecting yourself doesn't really work."

--Konoha Hospital, Natos Dimension—

"WHY AM I ALL TIED UP, SCARFACE? LET ME OUTA HERE!"

Naruto's outburst was heard throughout the hospital. Some of the nurses even commented about how fast Ibiki resorted to the painful torture, it was so loud.

Ibiki went to Naruto's bedside and slammed his fist into Naruto's gut. Naruto coughed up blood. Sasuke was shocked at the harsh treatment for the outburst. He was about to protest, but Ibiki spoke first.

Pulling back his arm, Ibiki growled, "I have not permitted you to speak yet, demon. I suggest you tone it down, though, when we do permit you to."

Ibiki smiled down coldly at Naruto, then at Sasuke. Naruto glared hatefully at Ibiki, though his tears of pain. Ibiki had been wearing spiked knuckles when he made the blow.

Sasuke had never seen Naruto look at anyone like this. Usually, he was happy and goofy, or stubborn and pouty. But he never looked at anyone with so much hatred. If Naruto weren't strapped down, Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if Naruto tried to rip out Ibiki's throat. His head hurt from thinking about Naruto this way. Surely the boy wasn't capable of performing such an atrocious act, was he?

"Hey!" shouted Sasuke, "there's no need for you to punish him like that. All he did was go after me to keep me from-"

Ibiki pummeled Sasuke in the same manner as he did Naruto. Sasuke groaned out in pain as he coughed up blood. Naruto watched this all with red eyes, snarling.

"Boy, you two are pretty dense," remarked Ibiki, wiping off his glove. "I guess you both like punishment. Well, more fun for me! Now, if you are both finished with the commentary, shall we begin?"

-- Hokage Tower, Natos Dimension --

Sarutobi sat at his desk, finishing up the paperwork for the classification of Orochimaru as a missing-nin. All that he needed to do was send a copy of this to the other hidden villages and his name would be posted in the Bingo book.

The Third Hokage frowned at the paper. _If only I hadn't been so trusting, then maybe more lives would have been saved. _He cringed. _Poor Arashi. His beautiful daughter's birthday was to be this weekend. It would also be her first year in the Academy an a couple of months._

The door to his office opened. Arashi, the acting Fourth Hokage, entered with his son, Naruto. _Oh, Naruto,_ thought Sarutobi. _You used to be so cheerfuland animated. Now you make Hyuga Hiashi look like he's a circus clown._

Naruto stood next to Arashi, looking at the Third's desk as if it might grow arms and attack if he didn't stare it down long enough. Uchiha Itach and Uchiha Sasuke enteres as well. Itachi was reserved, as usual. Sasuke was his cheerful self.

_Well, _thought the Third, a small smile creeping back to his face, _at least the Uchihas were able to withstand the loss of their clan head. Itachi has been doing a great job of running their affairs. He would probably be a suitable contender for Hokage after I die and Arashi seeks a second to train._

Arashi looked up first. "Sarutobi-sama, I spoke with Naruto about the demons I found, and he claims not to have any Idea as to how a demon could come up with his image."

"Yes, Sasuke is at a loss as to how this happed as well, Hokage-sama," said Itachi.

Sarutobi stroked his beard for a moment. "Well, maybe Ibiki will be able to find out some of that it the two of them are present for the interrogation."

"If it'll help Ibiki get to Orochimaru," remarked Naruto coldly ," I'll help Ibiki cut them up."

Sasuke and Sarutobi looked at Naruto sadly. Sasuke felt bad that his sister was murdered, but he missed his happier friend and teammate too.

Arashi sighed at his son's outburst. "Look, Naruto, this is a different matter here. We need to see just how the races of demons know of us. This is much bigger than just your sister. Orochimaru tried to summon the legendary nine-tailed fox. The village might not survive if Orochimaru is going to war with us using a demon army."

"So then why did you let him get away, Great Hokage-sama?" snorted Naruto. "He summons two demons he conveniently knocked out for you, and he still gets away from you? Maybe you and Tsunade-sama should trade titles."

Sarutobi raised his hand to call forth silence. Naruto complied, but was still obviously seething. Arashi looked at Naruto, genuinely hurt by his harsh words. Swallowing his pride, however, Arashi spoke next, calmly.

"Well, I agree with Sarutobi-sama. I want Sasuke and Naruto to go to the hospital room immediately to see if we can get a rise out of the demons. Maybe they'll cause them to slip some useful information.

Sasuke smiled challengingly at Naruto. Now he would be able to see a real demon, whose very existence had been a subject of much debate in the Acadamy until yesterday. However, his teammate ignored his excitement and left without a word. Sasuke frowned. _Naruto used to be the life of the team. Now it's almost like he doesn't care about life anymore._

Itachi patted Sasuke on his shoulder, knocking him out of his thoughts. "Hai, Hokage-sama," said Sasuke, startled by the sudden return to reality.

"Alright, Sasuke, but I need you back at the compound to take care of some things for me tonight after you are done. Don't linger with Naruto too long."

"Hai, Itachi."

Looking cheerfully determined, Sasuke took off after the young blond, hoping to break him of his recent mood.

-- Konoha Hospital, Natos Dimension --

Ibiki sat on the ground, stunned. The blond had seemingly burned through his bonds and freed the ebony-haired demon while he interrogated him. Then, the two of them proceeded to take out ten ANBU black ops, and tie him up in said ebony-haired demon's restraints. Now, the ebony-haired demon, calling himself Sasuke, and who also had the sharingan, had a kunai to his throat and was interrogating him!

"Why did you try to torture us?" asked Sasuke, pushing the kunai forward against his throat to encourage a swift reply.

"Hokage-sama said you two are demons. We suspect that somehow, demons from your realm are spying on us," remarked Ibiki, tempering his face to be clear of all emotion.

"That's enough of that crap!" yelled Naruto. "For the last time, we're not demons! And Hokage-sama wouldn't EVER command our torture!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto concerned. Ibiki had obviously hit a nerve. Why did he care so much if Ibiki called them demons? If anyone saw them in the state they were in after their battle, he would be surprised if they thought the two were normal. As for the torture, maybe this was some sort of genjutsu that Ibiki and the ANBU were under. Must be a really powerful one…

_Damn it! _thought Sasuke. _If Naruto didn't hunt me down, I wouldn't have to deal with this stupid mess. I could be focused on killing Itachi._

Making the hand sign, Sasuke tried to dispel the genjutsu. "Release!"

Ibiki took note of this. _So, even though he has the sharingan, he still needs to dispel genjutsu. I guess that means that this one's sharingan is fake._

The two ninjas were startled out of their thoughts when Naruto, who was moping in the corner, suddenly shouted "Oh that's just great! Now you want to mock me too? If this is how you're gonna treat me after trying to rescue Sasuke, then maybe I'll defect too!"

Sasuke turned to look for what new issue caused Naruto's outburst when he saw two Narutos. However, one of them had blue eyes so cold that it could freeze water and didn't have any whisker marks. And right behind him, he saw himself, but only as if he didn't have a care in the world. Sasuke reactivated his sharingan, and didn't see through the genjutsu, much to his surprise.

"You really think we'll believe you'll defect from Orochimaru? Please," sneered the whiskerless Naruto.

Whiskered Naruto was taken aback. "You would accuse me of allying with Orochimaru? That's IT!" Naruto created a Rasengan mixing his and Kyubi's chakra and charged full speed at the new Naruto. "You forgot the whiskers, jerk!" he shouted as he charged.

The new Naruto threw a kunai at him, but it was easily dodged. He then looked at the Rasengan angrily, while he made a handsign. Engulfing himself in yellow chakra, the new Naruto teleported to the kunai he threw, when right behind him was the new Sasuke with a four-tome sharingan active and a fully charged chidori aimed right at Naruto's side.

"Naruto, stop!" shouted Sasuke, cringing over the impending doom. However, it was too late for Naruto as he impaled himself on the chidori. Coughing up blood, Naruto fell to the ground, having his left lung pierced. Sasuke smacked Ibiki in the back of his head with the kunai hilt. However, before Sasuke could react to his other, more innocent self; the whiskerless Naruto, looking only slightly irritated, slammed a half-power rasengan into his head.

_This is it? _Sasuke though as everything got blurry and dark. _ It was all we could to stand up to a few clones and then they just wipe us clean?_

The new Naruto walked over to the fallen Naruto and grabbed his throat. "This will be simple, demon. You either tell me how you got my form, how you got the rasengan, the location of Orochimaru's hideout, and why you are going by my name; or you die."

With what little strength he had remaining, Naruto struggled against the strong fist that cut off his air supply. Amid the struggling, where the new Sasuke was freeing Ibiki, Sasuke noticed the seal on Naruto's stomach. Examining it with his sharingan, he recognized its purpose from old books in his father's library. He gasped.

"Wait, Naruto! Look at that seal!" he shouted, abandoning the unconscious Ibiki. "He really isn't a demon. I think he has Kyubi no Kitsune sealed within him. If you kill him like that, Kyubi might escape."

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a raised eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

"Well, the symbol in the center of the seal is Kyubi no Kitsune, according to dad's text on demon lore. Also, the outer part is one of the most complex entity seals known."

At that moment, Sakura and a whole army of med-nin burst in. "Is everyone OK? We heard the commotion and thought it a bit much for interrogation."

Naruto looked disappointed at the whiskered boy he held, who had finally feinted from exhaustion. "Yeah," he grumbled, "heal up those two. I want to know their stories. Sasuke says they aren't demons 'cause of some seal on my look-alike's stomach."

Sasuke frowned at this. "Do you think they might be experiments of Orochimaru? That would explain their anger at our suggestion that they are allied with Orochimaru."

"I don't know where he would have gotten enough of our blood for a clone," said Naruto, thoughtfully. "Oh well, we can figure that out when they wake up." He looked at Ibiki. "They may be able to take out some pretty powerful ninja, but I think dad can handle them. I'll recommend that he continue the interrogation with the old man."

Sasuke looked at the ruined room. "Sorry about the mess, Sakura."

She smirked. "Well, at least one of my team members cares about my well being. Too bad the other doesn't. So, when are you gonna issue my aprin and feather-duster, Naruto?"

Naruto waved her off. Sakura and Sasuke looked at him, concerned. If Sakura made a comment like that in the past, Naruto would get all embarrassed and apologetic for offending his 'Mistress'. For these last couple days, though, he seemed to be hiding all his emotions.

"Thanks, Sakura," said Sasuke. "Hey Naruto, you want 'ta get some ramen before we go back?"

Naruto sighed. "Nah, I have too much work to do tonight."

_Too much work? For ramen? This is serious, _thought Sakura. _I know it must have been hard to find his sister like that, but he's acting like he'll become an alchoholic and he's only thirteen._

After Naruto left, Sasuke turned to Sakura. "Don't worry about him. I'm sure that when he sees the surprise prank we have set up for him for his birthday this weekend, we'll shock hime right out of his blues."

"I hope so. I'm really worried about him. Nothing used to get him down. There must be some law of physics that he's breaking by being upset this long."

"Yeah." Looking at his watch, Sasuke jumped up. "Hey, I have to see Itachi right now, so I gotta run. See ya!" Sasuke took off out of the hospital.

Smiling, Sakura looked at the two remaining guests (A/N: Ibiki and the ANBU were moved by the other med-nin to other rooms). The one that looked like Sasuke would need a bandage for his head, but he should be fine. The other would probably need his lung rebuilt if he ever wanted to be a ninja again.

Sighing, Sakura took a wet cloth and began to clean the blood from his wound.

"That's strange," she said, examining his chest carefully. "Where did the wound in his chest go? And how can he breathe so easily with only one good lung?"

**Author's Notes:**

Alright, here's chapter 2! Thanks for the good reviews. Sorry I put off the discussion with the 4th. I wasn't happy with everyone just sitting comfortably discussing issues over a cup of tea just yet. Now, I feel more comfortable with it (though maybe without the tea and comfort :P)

I probably won't update this fast again (I am in school, you know…), but I'll do my best.

Q&A:

Q: Who is alive and who died in this world?

A: Well, as you probably just read, Sasuke and Naruto both exist in this world. So does the 3rd, the 4th and Itachi. As for the rest, RAFO.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: A World Without Evil, Sort Of…

Author: Justarius

Submission Date: 4/12/07

Synopsis: What would Konoha be like if the Nine-Tailed Fox didn't exist? And neither did any of the other tailed demons. Well, Naruto and Sauske are about to find out. However, the Fourth doesn't really like spies, so…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters shown in the manga of anime Naruto. Like everyone else here, this is just done for fun. :P

_Justarius: Sorry for the late submission. hasn't and still won't let me upload new content. Had to use their editor in the end and retype this chapter :P Anyway, enjoy! _

**Previously… **

Sighing, Sakura took a wet cloth and began to clean the blood from his wound.

"That's strange," she said, examining his chest carefully. "Where did the wound in his chest go? And how can he breathe so easily with only one good lung?"

**Current Story: **

-- Hokage Mansion, Natos Dimension –

The Third Hokage turned back to his paperwork. Sighing, he dismissed the boys.

_ None of this makes any sense. Why would Orochimaru seal a demon inside of an experiment and then accidentally summon it? _

Arashi watched as his son and Sasuke left the office. As if reading the Third's thoughts, he said, "Well, according to legend, demons only exist in one dimension in order to maintain a certain balance."

Sarutobi frowned. "What are you suggesting, Arashi? Do you think those two aren't of this world?"

Arashi scratched his head. "It is a possibility. However, I like to think the simpler explanation is the most likely. So, what do we have to disprove Naruto and Sasuke's theory that our two guests are Orochimaru's experiments?"

Sarutobi stood up and began searching the various bookshelves in the office. "For one, the summoning technique needed to summon other-worldly beings is vastly different from that needed to summon beings from this world."

"What about summoning demons already in this world? If he sealed a demon into another subject, then different summoning rules might apply."

Apparently finding the book he was looking for, the elder man removed several texts from the shelf and placed them on his desk. Opening one of them, he turned to the middle of the book. He then turned back to Arashi. "According to the effects of a summoning from another dimension, the summoned will only remain in this dimension as long as the summoned being has enough chakra to maintain his existence. So, it is unlikely that such a being could even be sealed into another being in this dimension."

"Arashi looked skeptical. "Aren't demons supposed to have an unlimited amount of chakra?"

"Yes," said Sarutobi, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "However, each summoning jutsu for other-worldly beings require an invested amount of chakra as a limiter to the amount available for the summoned being to use." He began thumbing through another of the books he removed.

"Well, if his old haunt is of any indication, he has developed some new jutsu that we thought were impossible up until now."

The old man scowled. "You mean that soul-transfer jutsu he developed?" he grimaced. "I can't believe how horrible he turned out."

Arashi frowned. "It wasn't your fault, Sarutobi. He is just a power-hungry bastard. Maybe we should introduce selflessness tests in order to become a shinobi in Konoha."

"It won't work," muttered the Third, once again absorbed in searching the book. "Ah-hah! Look here, Arashi, this is the seal that Naruto and Sasuke described."

The Fourth bent down to look at the page the older Hokage had indicated. Upon looking over the seal, he gasped. "That's impossible. That seal is implemented by summoning the death reaper. To seal anything using that seal, while one of the strongest in existence, the user would need to sacrifice his soal."

The old man smirked. "But such a jutsu won't seal anything in another being, would it?"

Arashi frowned, thinking of the jutsu he developed had the need ever arised to save the village. "Someone could, but it would need to be in the body of one that had a strong blood relationship with. As in, only parents, siblings, and children would work."

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "I don't think that Orochimaru had enough time to develop two clones or children that closely related to him. Also, the body he possesses has no siblings and no children as old as our guests."

"Even if he did," remarked the blond Hokage, "he would have needed to obtain not only the blood of an Uchiha, but also my own."

Sarutobi frowned, remembering when Arashi's clan had been wiped out when Arashi was a child. _Damn our warring countries! We have lost too many good families this way. _He looked at Arashi's passive face. _And have left too many orphans._

"Well, both of those are extremely unlikely, since Orochimaru avoided the hospital during all his years here," remarked the Third, breaking the sudden silence.

"You and I could go ask them."

The Third Hokage was taken aback. "If the both of us went, the council of elders would collectively have a heart attack for putting ourselves in unnecessary danger."

Arashi grinned wickedly. "Well, those old bags of bones could use a kick start for their hearts. Come on!"

Before the Third Hokage could protest further, his student's former student dragged him out toward the cell blocks, as excited as if he were still the rambunctious twelve-year-old that terrorized Konoha.

-- Konoha Holding Cell Block 18, Natos Dimension --

Sasuke smacked his head against the stone wall. _Not even three hours ago, Naruto was ready to personally tear down Konoha for all that happened in the interrogation room. Now, he sits there, as happy as if he had been served a year's supply of Ichiraku's ramen, playing with a paddle-ball that he pulls out of his ass _(A/N: No, not literally!).

Turning, Sasuke grumbled at the whiskered boy. "Hey, dobe! Don't you think you could help a little bit with planning our escape? I mean, call me a pessimist, but they probably will want to come back and torture us more for info on Orochimaru. And since they have copies of us already, I think they can take us out without arousing too much suspicion."

Naruto just laughed. "Don't worry Sasuke, I've got this all figured out!"

Sasuke looked at him skeptically. "Oh? Mind sharing with me?"

Naruto grinned goofily. "Yup, this is all a dream."

SMACK! Sasuke went back to smacking his head against the wall.

Naruto gave Sasuke a concerned look. "Really Sasuke, if you're that bored, I can lend you the paddle-ball for awhile. You don't have to go hurting yourself, even if it's only a dream."

Sasuke turned back to glare at the boy. "What gave you the stupid idea that this is a dream."

"Well, you said that you could see through genjutsu with the sharingan, but there didn't appear to be any genjutsu cast on us according to you. Also, you yourself said that the wound I got from the chidori should have taken weeks to recover from, if I even survived. Now, two days later, I'm as good as new," said Naruto, nodding sagely. "Since the impossible is happening, and everyone in the village is acting funny, it must be a dream."

"So you think that I am the creation of some bad ramen?" asked Sasuke, rolling his eyes.

"A nightmare, huh? Well, I guess that does make more sense."

Naruto kept blabbering about his theory, but Sasuke tuned him out. _A dream! How did that moron learn how to breathe?_ _If this is a dream, I need to remember to visit Konoha to smack Naruto upside the head for having such stupid dreams about me. _

Sasuke went back to his exercises and planned out scenarios in his head while Naruto paddled away. Then, the cell opened admitting a tall blond-haired man wearing the Hokage robes. The man looked like an older version of Naruto, without the whiskers. Sasuke's jaw dropped.

_Dobe was right? There's no way he's Hokage. Naruto's going to regret putting me in such a stupid dream. _

Naruto glared at the newcomer. "You. Ramen. Now."

Arashi looked at the boy sternly. "There will be time for that later. Right now, I need to find out who you are and if you're a threat to this village."

Naruto took on a look of determination. "No, this is my dream, and I say ramen!"

Arashi looked concerned. Sasuke just rolled his eyes. Looking to Sasuke, Arashi asked, "Does this boy have some sort of mental disorder?" Sasuke sighed, glancing at Naruto. "Yeah, he was born without a brain."

"Sasuke, you teme!"

Arashi took hold of Naruto's head and pulled up his eyelids a little. He peered into his eyes. "Fascinating! So, Orochimaru created a human without a brain and sealed a demon within him?"

Sasuke went back to beating his head against the wall. _I'm obviously making progress. Now there are two blond idiots here. If I keep this up, then my brain will go numb and they'll all go away!_

"Get off me, you bastard!" Naruto grumbled, coming to the realization that it wasn't a dream.

"Who are you, anyway? Another creepy old sage?"

Arashi was somewhat taken aback. In most hidden villages, an order had been issued to escape him at all costs due to his deadly skills and efficient tactics. There were few people who didn't know of the Yellow Flash of Konoha.

_Hmm… If they didn't know me by sight, then they're probably not demon spies. Team 7's theory that they may be Orochimaru's experiments is probably true, _thought Arashi. _However, judging by the blonde's reaction, I doubt that they lost their minds to the demons. Well, not completely anyway._

"I am the Fourth Hokage of Konoha." Arashi took out a pad and pen. "Would you mind giving me your names and village of residence?"

The whisker-faced boy, on hearing the Hokage identify himself, eyed him dubiously. "You know, he's dead. If this is some kind of secret information-gathering trick, you should probably update your tricks by about twelve years."

Sasuke, on hearing Naruto's comment, frowned. _Hmm… Of course, I should have thought this might be a theater. I've been relying too much on the sharingan lately._

"Dead? Well, last I checked, I was pretty healthy. So, what did me in while I was left unaware?" asked the Fourth Hokage, combing his hair with his hand.

Naruto sweat-dropped. "You died while sealing Kyubii in a child to save Konoha from utter destruction," he said in a monotonous voice.

Sasuke eyed the other blond suspiciously. _If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he's mainly interested in getting info about the history of Konoha since the Fourth died. But that doesn't make any sense, since it is all public knowledge, anyway. Why would they capture two shinobi to find this out?Well, when those two are done talking, I'll discuss the situation with Naruto. Maybe he notices it too. _

"I did?" The other blond suddenly became pale, an understanding came to his face. "Well, thanks for your help. I'll sign the papers to release you in the morning." He continued as if Naruto's words had struck the life from him. "I'll send that ramen you ordered too."

-- Konoha Holding Cell Lobby, Natos Dimension --

Sarutobi saw Arashi enter as pale as death, and he immediately sprung up. "What happened, Arashi? Are you hurt?"

The blond shook his head. "In the other dimension, Kyubii apparently attacked Konoha. In order to save the village, I used the reaper death summon to seal the fox and save the village. That boy is what Naruto might have been, and apparently really is at the same time. I sealed a demon in my own son!"

The Third Hokage sighed and patted Arashi on the shoulder. _It is never easy to learn what horrible atrocities you are capable of committing in the name of the village. So Orochimaru really did summon the nine-tails. _

"Well,did you tell them about your theory and that they're in a different dimension?"

Arashi had regained a little of his composure. "No, I didn't. However, we should before anymore interrogation. It is the least we could do for them. They deserve to know."

The Third frowned. _If he didn't provide the theory to them, then how could he be so certain if it was true?_ "Arashi, how can you be so certain that they are from another world?"

"The blond one told me a history of Konoha completely different than the one we know, and the other one eyed me suspiciously, as if I should know all he told me already. So, the story should be true."

Sarutobi turned to leave with his counterpart. "Well, I want to do another test tomorrow, just to be sure."

**Author's Notes: **

Alright, here's chapter 3! Sorry this one took so long. I'll try to update faster.

Now, a brief summary of what has happened:

Naruto and Sasuke ended up being summoned to another dimension where demons don't exist naturally, but can be summoned like the beast-summons in the cannon dimension. Similar rules apply to both. Since Kyubii didn't attack Konoha, the Fourth is still alive, and many other aspects of this dimension are different.

Naruto and Sasuke of the new dimension have sort-of switched characters. This Naruto doesn't have the Kyubii, and is bitter and bent on revenge for the brutal murder of his sister and various other children of Konoha. This is amplified as he was the only family member to see what she had to go thru in person (he found her and helped clean up the mess in the beginning. The Fourth was spared the gruesome details due to his duties as Hokage.)

Itachi didn't kill of the Uchiha clan. I am assuming that his motivation to gain power is due to how helpless everyone was when Kyubii attacked. Since he was a little kid at the time, he didn't want to feel that helpless again. Well, his quest for power perverted him, and there is cannon Itachi. So, in the new dimension, he doesn't have such a strong lust for power, and everything turned out alright for the Uchihas.

Since the Uchiha clan is intact (even though Sasuke's parents passed away), Sasuke still maintains a certain innocence in the new dimension, and still looks up to his brother. Also, as the new Naruto learned his father's techniques and therefore became one of the strongest shinobi of the chunin, Sasuke also looks up to and competes with Naruto. Since the two now have no real reason to be so jealous of each other, they end up making a good team, utilizing Naruto's speed and Sasuke's power attacks.

Sakura, having her amazing chakra control, turns to med-jutsu training, since Naruto and Sasuke are the power behing the team. By keeping the two of them healthy, the team rarely faces a challenge that is too rough.

As for Orochimaru, I'm going to say that, since the Fourth stayed alive, Orochimaru wasn't discovered as quickly. This is because he was a little sneakier regarding his doings due to the reputation of the Fourth. Also, since he didn't know Arashi as well as he did his sensei, Sarutobi, he was less cocky than in the cannon dim. As a direct result, the Third Hokage still leves in the new dimension.

(End Summary)

That's all I'm gonna tell for now. I still want the reader to discover the new environment along with Naruto and Sasuke (cannon) to add to the confused feel that they are having (read: jumping to conclusions about what must have happened and where they are). Any reviews are welcomed and encouraged, as always.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: A World Without Evil, Sort Of…

Author: Justarius

Submission Date: 4/13/07

Synopsis: What would Konoha be like if the Nine-Tailed Fox didn't exist? And neither did any of the other tailed demons. Well, Naruto and Sauske are about to find out. However, the Fourth doesn't really like spies, so…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters shown in the manga of anime Naruto. Like everyone else here, this is just done for fun. :P

_Justarius: There, is this fast enough for ya? XD _

**Previously… **

"The blond one told me a history of Konoha completely different than the one we know, and the other one eyed me suspiciously, as if I should know all he told me already. So, the story should be true."

Sarutobi turned to leave with his counterpart. "Well, I want to do another test tomorrow, just to be sure."

**Current Story:**

-- Konoha Holding Cell Block D, Natos Dimension --

Naruto and Sasuke were woken from a light slumber in their cell by a loud crash. They both jolted up to see the cell door partially imbedded into the cell wall and an angry, purple haired kinochi holding what looked like free ramen coupons.

"The Third Lord Hokage commanded I release you and provide you with these ramen coupons," she said sternly. Smirking evilly, she commented, "Too bad, you lucky maggots; I didn't get to play with you yet."

Naruto smiled weakly and nervously at Anko. _Heh heh. Even if I she is an illusion, there are some women you don't want to take chances with._

Sasuke, watching Naruto, groaned. _How can he be so strong and a loser at the same time._

Giving them the coupons, Anko turned to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot. The Lord Hokage also commanded that you stay in Konoha for the time being. If you attempt to disobey these orders, "she smirked, "Well, then let's say that we'll make up for lost time." She left briskly, leaving the cell door imbedded in the wall.

"He-He! Sasuke, I'm so hungry. Let's go get some ramen!" said an excited Naruto, practically jumping up and down.

Sasuke sighed. _Seeing the dobe back to normal is giving me a headache. Maybe I should torture him more often._ "Don't you think that this still might be a setup? Everyone is acting weird. I think we should investigate first."

Naruto looked at Sasuke, exasperated. "Yeah, we'll do all that. But we need ramen first."

"No, Naruto. If they're giving us free ramen, don't you think it might be poisoned or spiked with a truth serum? Especially if we really have been captured."

Naruto massaged his grumbling stomach. "Why would they to that? I mean, if we were captured, why wouldn't they just chain us up and inject us with those chemicals?"

"Because, dobe, then they won't have to worry about us struggling since they have our trust."

Naruto grinned deviously. "I've got a plan Sasuke. We could go get the ramen and I could eat it while you watch me to see if I have a reaction. That way, nobody will be suspicious of us for not eating if we are captured and you can respond to any interrogation."

Sasuke groaned. "If we are interrogated, how do you expect me to keep your big mouth shut? I can't do it now, when we've been imprisoned in what I assume is enemy territory without a truth serum; and you're practically giving them your life's story."

The blond genin looked up indignantly. "So Sasuke-teme is going to rescue the stupid blond idiot again?"

Sasuke smirked. "It's about time you realized you are an idiot that is burdening me with his own survival. But, I guess I could help you out this one last time."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Saske-teme couldn't help a pet-store clerk find a dog at the pet-shop!"

Saske was about to continue their bickering, but then the loud and angry voice of Anko came down the hall. "If you maggots don't leave the block right now, I'm gonna forget I was s'posed ta release ya and bury you UNDER your cells when I'm done beating you for giving me this headache with your bickering!"

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other, wide-eyed. Then, they left the cellblock as quickly as they could.

-- Outside the Hokage Mansion, Demos Dimension --

Kakashi stood next to the Fifth Hokage, who was struggling not to break down and cry. Such was the way of the shinobi; to hide your feelings from everyone, including yourself. Kakashi had already shed his tears when he returned to Konoha two days ago with the remains of his two students.

The funeral was almost more heavily attended than the Third Hokage's funeral half a year ago. Even though Sasuke remained aloof from everyone's lives, Naruto had almost forced whomever he met to have some sort of affection for the excited blond.

Shikamaru, who was the team leader on that last mission, gave the funeral speech sending Naruto's and Sasuke's souls off. _I'm amazed at the change I'm seeing in Shikamaru after this mission. He blames himself for Naruto's death, so he has become one of the most motivated shinobi in Konoha, _remarked Kakashi to himself. _He might be more motivated to be a great ninja now than Lee._

"These two shinobi who we remember today can serve as a lesson for us all," said Shikamaru respectfully. "On one hand, we see the price we may all eventually have to face to save our friends and loved ones in this great village. So, we must strive to keep this village and country a place worthy of the ultimate sacrifice; so that, like Naruto, we might not flinch to give everything we have for those we love."

"Secondly, we can learn the lesson of ultimate power. Sasuke left the village in an attempt to gain the power necessary to avenge his clan. His quest for power perverted the good nature of his quest to restore his clan's honor, and resulted in more destruction for his own village. So, Sasuke teaches us that the true power of a shinobi is in his heart."

Shikamaru turned toward Tsunde, the Fifth Hokage, and offered her the stand. Taking it, she turned toward the display with Naruto's and Sasuke's portraits arranged under the canopy. "Thank you, shinobi, for your sacrifices. May we all learn from your lessons as you rest from your hard work. We will strive to maintain the honor of the village you have died to serve." If any of the Hyuga members in the procession had activated their Byakugan, they would have noticed a single tear streak down the Fifth's face as she cringed saying the farewell message.

Tsunade stepped down from the dais and placed a single white rose in front of each picture of the two teammates. Following her, Kakashi placed his farewell roses on the display, as well as the rest of the jonin.

The rookie nine, now reduced to seven, each followed. However, unlike the other ninjas present, they mostly ignored Sasuke's memorial and attended to Naruto's. In their eyes, Sasuke was a traitor and died a traitor. Naruto died defending the village. So, every one of them, except Sakura, passed by Sasuke's portrait and gave Naruto two roses.

-- Ichiraku's Ramen Bar, Natos Dimension --

Naruto grumbled at Sasuke for still insisting that he not eat any ramen. _This is too realistic to be an act. _"Come on, Sasuke, please? I'm so hungry!" Chibi tears poured from his eyes.

Sasuke thought a moment. "Well, if you have any ramen left at your place, I suppose you could eat it there. Then, we could test it and see just how well they did reconstructing Konoha.

Naruto agreed, but grumbled about how inferior that water with noodles and chicken broth was to Ichiraku's miso ramen. At this point, Sasuke and Naruto both erupted in a sneezing fit.

"Huh, I guess someone had a full blown lecture on us or something," remarked Naruto, after dusting himself off.

Sasuke just sighed. "That's just a dumb old wive's tale, dobe."

-- Naruto's Apartment Complex, Natos Dimension --

"Ah-hah!" said an excited Naruto, who had just given Sasuke a strip-show to find his missing key. Strangely, the key he kept under the mat was missing.

"I kept my key in a compartment in my sandal because I was worried it might get damaged in our fight."

Sasuke shook his head disgustedly at Naruto. "Whatever, dobe. Just get dressed and open your door so we can get your damn ramen."

When Naruto opened the door (he still was just in his boxers), they were both shocked to see Kurenai and Asuma in the middle of…ahem…'cuddling intimately' in Naruto's bed.

Naruto's jaw hit the ground and his eyes, now taking up three-fourths of his face, became pupil-less. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO PERVERTS DOING TO MY POOR BED!?!?!?" Sasuke, likewise, was not much less stunned than Naruto. His Uchiha control went right out the window as he gave a similar expression to the two jonin.

Asuma, on hearing the sudden outburst, immediately covered themselves with a sheet. Looking for the intruder in the dark, he saw Naruto and Sasuke. "How the HELL did you two get into my apartment? Didn't your father teach you not to break into other people's apartments, Naruto?" snarled the normally clam jonin.

"First of all, this is MY apartment. Secondly, that's my bed you two are soiling for me! And thirdly," shouted an increasingly traumatized Naruto, "MY DAD IS DEAD!"

On hearing this, Asuma jumped out of the bed and was somehow, already dressed. (A/N: HAH, take that, perverts!). "The Fourth Hokage's been killed? What happened Naruto?" Kurenai and Asuma both seemed battle ready and on edge now. Kurenai want to comfort Naruto, who was obviously stunned.

Sasuke looked at the two of them, for the first time in his life, utterly confused. "So the Fourth Hokage is…dobe's father in disguise while…he pretends to already have Naruto as a child…and then Asuma and Kurenai desecrate Naruto's apartment to … get us to talk?"

Kurenai looked at Asuma worriedly. "They're both delusional. Something must have traumatized them even beyond Naruto's sister being killed," she commented.

Amid all the confusion, Asuma and Kurenai brought Naruto and Sasuke into their room and noticed the whisker marks on Naruto's face. "Do you suppose this is the result of some mind-altering jutsu?" asked Asuma. "Why do you think Naruto took off all his clothes?"

Naruto was just trying to claw his eyes out and mumbled about needing to burn his bed. Sasuke was trying to think up some logical explanation to the deception, and was failing miserably. _Dobe's right, we must be dreaming._

Then, there was a knock at the door. Asuma sighed and hurried to answer it while Kurenai attempted to attend to the two boys.

Asuma obened the door and was surprised, for the second time in as many minutes today, find Naruto looking at him with a bored expression on his face.

"Dad just wanted me to let you know that he captured some look-alikes of me and Sasuke. He needs them for some sort of mission. They should be at the Ramen Stand now. So, don't be too surprised."

Asuma looked at him suspiciously. "Did your dad give them any lodging yet?"

"No, why?"

Asuma showed him a key he picked up from atop the pile of Naruto's clothes. "Then how did he get this? I have all the other copies of this key on my person."

Naruto looked up at the ceiling and sighed heavily. "It seems I have some explaining to do." Naruto pushed past Asuma and entered the apartment.

**Author's Notes: **

Alright, here's chapter 4! Ha! I make up for the last long wait with an "hour-long special!" notices everyone staring at me He-He… Well, go ahead and enjoy the story. Don't know when I'll post again, but probably before a week. runs

PS: Hope you liked the window into Naruto cannon dimension. If you like, I'll do more of them, maybe even incorporate them into the story with another story line!

Thanks for the support and reviews! I'm surprised at how quickly thay come!


	5. Chapter 5

Title: A World Without Evil, Sort Of…

Author: Justarius

Submission Date: 5/21/07

Synopsis: What would Konoha be like if the Nine-Tailed Fox didn't exist? And neither did any of the other tailed demons. Well, Naruto and Sauske are about to find out. However, the Fourth doesn't really like spies, so…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters shown in the manga of anime Naruto. Like everyone else here, this is just done for fun. :P

_Justarius: Well, sorry for the late update. After finals finished, I lost my internet connection at the house. We were still paying for it, but the connection was only rarely allowed by the network when it felt like it, and only after sacrificing three virgins on a stone alter and- er, you get the idea...  
_

_To **MingShun**: Yes, Naruto-with-the-unmarked-cheeks is stronger than cannon-Naruto. The suffering cannon-Naruto experienced only really serves as a motivation to improve himself. It may have helped increace his pain-tolerance and/or given him a larger chakra reserve, but it didn't really make him a better shinobi. It is not a substitute for training. While cannon-Naruto definately trained, his training was unguided until he reached the academy. Parallel-Naruto, on the other hand, has the 4th Hokage himself all his life. If he didn't get training directly from him, Arashi would definitely be able to have some of his subordinates help in the training. Now, motivation is still required for any training to have some effect, but suffering isn't the only way to get motivated to be the best._

* * *

**Previously… ** "Dad just wanted me to let you know that he captured some look-alikes of me and Sasuke. He needs them for some sort of mission. They should be at the Ramen Stand now. So, don't be too surprised." 

Asuma looked at him suspiciously. "Did your dad give them any lodging yet?"

"No, why?"

Asuma showed him a key he picked up from atop the pile of Naruto's clothes. "Then how did he get this? I have all the other copies of this key on my person."

Naruto looked up at the ceiling and sighed heavily. "It seems I have some explaining to do." Naruto pushed past Asuma and entered the apartment.

* * *

**Currently:**

-- Naruto's Apartment Complex, Natos Dimension --

"Have any of you ever heard of any demon-summoning jutsus?" asked the whiskerless blond, addressing the four shinobi in the room.

Asuma and Kurenai gave a sort nod, affirming that they had. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the blond. The whiskered Naruto, now dressed at the insistance of everyone else in 'his' room, was searching frantically through drawers in the kitchen. Everyone else was ignoring him.

The whiskered Naruto nodded and said, "It is a jutsu that theoretically summons a demon from another dimension into ours, where no demons exist. However, it is very dangerous, since demons rarely submit to the will of others and the willpower of a demon is said to be legendary." Naruto began pacing in front of the counter, making hand gestures as he continued. All but the orange-clad blond listened intently. "Until, about six months ago, we thought demons to be children's stories and old superstition from the past, until Orochimaru was able to summon a demon during Konoha's invasion of Amegakure. Sanbi, the thre-tailed sea monster, was summoned. The results were devastating on both sides. After Orochimaru's inhumane experiments came to light, he tried to summon Kyubi no Kitsune to aid his escape from the pursuit of the Fourth Hokage."

Asuma and Kurenai looked wide-eyed at the implications of such a summon. They knew Orochimaru tried to summon demons and that somehow caused a look-alike of Sasuke and Naruto to come to this world, but if the demon-lord really had been summoned, they would likely be attempting to put the village back together again sans one or two Hokage. Sasuke closed his eyes, putting all the pieces together.

"So," interrupted Sasuke, "you and your Hokage believe that somehow we were summoned instead of the Kyubi."

The whisker-less boy nodded an affirmative.

"That doesn't make sense, though. The Kyubi in our dimension was killed by the Fourth Hokage fourteen years ago. How could the jutsu even hope to work with Kyubi dead?"

Naruto frowned. "It seems your village and my counterpart are keeping secrets from you. According to the seal on the stomach of my lookalike, Kyubi no Kitsune is sealed within the boy, at least by the lore we have to go on."

The three shinobi were stunned. Asuma sniffed, swearing he could almost smell the smokey scent that the demon-fox must have. Sasuke turned to discuss the revelation with his blond comrade, when he found he had gone missing from the kitchen.

Everyone else noticed that the whiskered boy had disappeared from the kitchen along with Sasuke and began searching frantically, fearing the implecations of the story they had just heard. They spotted Naruto warming his hands over a burning bed in the other room in the apartment.

Before the stunned shinobi could respond to the sight, Naruto pocketed a packet of matches and looked at Asuma and Kurenai irritatedly. "Alright, you had your fun in my apartment and bed. Now hand over the keys you made and get out of my room, perverts!"

"You baka," muttered Sasuke, burying his head in his hand.

Kurenai and Asuma just looked at him with their jaws on the floor. The whisker-less Naruto stared open-mouthed at the whole situation. Then, he started laughing uncontrolably at the stupid situation. The stubborn look on his lookalike next to the burning mattress reminded him of the pranks his departed sister would play on everyone.

-- Konoha Police Station, Natos Dimension --

Itachi hated this part of the job. After he became the clan head, he had been forced to retire from ANBU, since it was to risky a position for the lofty figurehead of the Uchiha clan. _Those damn old men! _thought the bored Uchiha. _If they didn't interfere, I could be on the assassin team for taking out those blasted grass and lightning nin-raiders. Now, I get to 'help' the village by listening to reports about-_

"Captain Itachi!" shouted a younger officer, interrupting the clan head's thoughts. "We have reports of a ninja brawl going on in the apartment sector of the village."

_Speak of the devil... _thought Itachi bitterly. "Well, I could use a break from this desk job. I'll check it out."

-- Konoha Apartment sector, Natos Dimension --

Kurenai and Asuma both had their hands around the fox-like boy's neck, stifling his screams of protest. In fact, the only noises left were of the other Naruto up on the apartment balcony rolling on the floor, laughing his ass off at the scene outside. Sasuke stood where a wall and a window used to be, before Naruto flew through it, courtesy of Asuma; and he watched the scene disgustedly. He toyed with the idea that strangling the blond might jump-start his brain.

A couple of the village locals, gathered around to watch the fight. They didn't recognize Naruto in his bright-orange jumpsuit (sans jacket), and were taking bets on how long the fight would last. They were excited, since shinobi battles were limited in public and sparring sessions were generally off limits to the local populace. This one looked to be good, since the orange-clad boy already flew out the wall of the apartment complex.

However, to the dismay of the crowd, Itachi showed up with three other officers of the Konoha police. Itachi pulled out a scroll and cast a high-level sleep jutsu on the group. Even Kurenai succumbed to the jutsu. One of the other Uchiha officers moved in to restrain them, and prevent possible releasing of the genjutsu in place. The other, noticing smoke flowing out from the apartment, drafted some of the spectators to help contain any fire or other damages the building might be sustaining. Itachi, after using his sharingan to take note of all the identities of the onlookers, commanded them to return to whatever they were doing and to leave the scene.

Sasuke watched the police-nin, stunned.

_Not only is my bastard brother here, but other Uchiha still live?_ _And they're all members of the police, still. I have to find out what's going on here,_ he thought, stroking his chin.

Before the other Uchiha officer made it to the apartment with the smoldering bed, Sasuke jumped to a nearby tree to hide from the group. The whiskerless Naruto, regaining his composure, saw Sasuke leave. Forgetting momentarily that he wasn't his teammate, he shouted, "Hey Sasuke, you should help contain the damages here before taking off."

Sasuke sighed. "Remember, I'm not really a member of this village here. Besides, I have something here I need to take care of now."

Shrugging off the boy's indifference, Naruto went back to put out the fire, as the Uchiha officer came in with his party.

Not seeing Sasuke, they went to the bedroom. Noticing Naruto trying to contain the fire, the villagers gathered water to help in the containment, while the Uchiha officer began a structual integrity check.

Sasuke activated his sharingan, preparing for the eventuality that Itachi wouldn't bring the three back to the station. As stealthilly as possible, he followed his brother carrying the three unconsious shinobi.

-- Hokage Tower, Natos Dimension --

"With all due respect, Lord Yodaime Hokage, I am doing my best to avoid a war between our villages. However, I cannot silence the claims of our outlying villages that Konoha shinobi attacked villagers on our land," said the ambassador from Kusagakure.

Arashi frowned. That fiasco had started when an elderly couple of jounin disguised as merchants requesting passage to the Grass Country. Knowing of the tensions between the two countries right now, the couple had assured the Hokage that a team of grass-ni would take over at the border. Convieniently, no replacements showed up, so the team offered to take them the rest of the way.

_The bastards,_ thought the blond Hokage bitterly. _The 'merchants' turn on the chunin team in the middle of a village, killing two of the villagers and almost Tenten, and then nobody remembers any aggression on the part of the grass-nin. Now, the _"You know that conflict was started by grass-jounin. Our shinobi were just defending themselves! Besides, that mission was all a ruse to set up this situation."

The ambasador smiled at the Hokage. "We shinobi of the Grass are not as clever as you give us credit for, Lord Hokage." He continued as if he were teaching a child arithmatic. "Besides, the mission contract never said that your services wre required beyond your borders. Your shinobi should have stayed on their land and waited patiently for the grass shinobi to come.

_Yeah, _thought Arashi, while scowling. _Wait for the team that didn't exist to show up._ He had, however, had a long talk with Guy about the situation and being more discreate about alliegances in neighboring countries, even though he had agreed with Team Guy's actions to a point. Now he was beginning to rekindle his hatred for politics.

The Hokage sighed. "It is getting late. We'll have to continue talks of any concessions after dinner. Right now, I have other matters I must see to." With that, the Hokage dismissed the ambassador, watching as his two honor guards came to escort him back to his quarters.

The Third Hokage entered the office as the ambassador left. "So, a rough negotiation session?"

Arashi leaned back in his chair. "They aren't budging. They either want Team Guy to arrest and hold, or they want war with us. Also, because of all the evidence they gathered against them, Kirigakure and Kumogakure are thinking of supporting them."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "When did the Water Country get involved in this? What is their justification?"

"Remember the mission that ended up eliminating Zabuza? Well, the Ambassador from Water Country says that the Mizukage believes Konohagakure is extending its jurisdiction too far lately and they need to be put in their place."

The elder Hokage was taken aback. "We turned over his body to their officials to dispose of as they saw fit! There is no reason that they should start a war over this."

Arashi smiled, thankful someone was finally seeing things his way. "Well, they claimed our shinobi should have alerted Kirigakure when they first found that the mission involved the missing nin. His exact words were, 'It was the responsibility of our ANBU members to take care of Zabuza, especially if it was on our land. If we needed Konoha shinobi, we could have requested their aid afterwards.'"

The old man sighed. Then turning around, he waved a dismissing hand. "Well, more complicated matters aside for now. I just recieved word that one Uzumaki Naruto ended up trying to burn down one Sarutobi Asuma's apartment."

The blond shinobi raised an eyebrow for a moment, then remembered that the boy summoned by Orochimaru also went by that name. "You do mean our recent guest, right?"

Sarutobi knodded.

"Is there anyway we could rename those two so we don't ID the wrong one at any given time?"

The old man stroked his goatee. "We could bring it up to them, I suppose." He sighed. "I'm also concerned about news getting out to the other Countries that we may be housing a demon, especially with the tensions being as high as they are within the hidden villages."

Arashi looked at a map on his table. "Well, we know next to nothing about unsummoning demons. Also, there doesn't seem to be any jutsu in the archives that refer to unsummoning a demon. How could we send a human across dimensions."

Well," said the old man thoughtfully, "we do know that this is some sort of parallel dimension. Maybe the great beasts would have an answer."

"Do you want me to try and get an audience with Lord Gamabunta?" asked Arashi, standing up.

"Or I could. It has been awhile since I've seen the old toad."

"It'll be the last time you see hime, if you make comments like that around him," remarked the blond Hokage. "I remember when I suggested that he might be unnaturally large. Gamabunta tried to introduce me to the great mole beast in the most direct manner possible for the next few hours, just to show me how 'large' he was."

Sarutobi chuckled. "You just don't know how to be firendly in a diplomatic setting, Arashi. You either treat people like they tried to destroy your house for you, or you treat them as if you tried to help them destroy someone else's house last night. I can't wait for you to experience the service when there in no war brooding over our shoulders. The job is much more fun then."

Arashi started sulking. "I think I have a little more tact than that, old man."

Sarutobi smiled. "Thanks for proving my point."

"Anyway," said the blond, still sulking, "I think you should have your chance to interrogate those two. So, I'll go see Lord Gamabunta."

Sarutobi grumbled. "That's two out-of-village missions you've had in a row, Arashi. Now I get the next two."

Arashi beamed at the idea that he would get a short break from tha paperwork. "Yeah, yeah, old man. We'll see. I wouldn't wnat you to break your hip while trying to play the ninja game again in your old age."

The villagers outside thw tower would later swear seeing the Fourth Hokage fly out the window as they reclined to dinner, whiule someone who sounded suspiciously like the Third shouted, "It looks Like my old hips are more than capable of taking you out!" However, the Hokage's secretary declined all knowledge of the incident.

The Fourth was later seen with a broken arm, claiming he had been fixing an old shed in the back, when it collapsed and he fell through. Yet whenever the Third passed by the Fourth, the blond Hokage would always seem to grumble and the elder Hokage always seemed to become smile wider than usual.

**Author's Notes: **

Alright, here's chapter 5! Again, sorry about the slow updates. When I'm in school, I have constant internet access. So, ironically, when school is out for me, the updates may be more scattered...


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